A new and improved Maleficent
by Lorelei Candice Black
Summary: Before the movies, during the first book. When she's about to grab the Dragon's eye, Mal make a decision to change the life of all the children on the Isle. Her mother gets humiliated, and it gets the attention of the Royals on Auradon.


**_A new and improved Maleficent_**

 _A different ending to the 1st book, starts when Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos are in Maleficent's old throne room, about to grab the Dragon's eye._

* * *

Mal knew that she had a choice, she didn't have to let Evie touch the Dragon's Eye, she didn't have to listen to her mother but then, something crossed Mal's head. Something she hadn't dared think about earlier, or ever, because of the words her mothers had always spoken to her.

She didn't have to give the Dragon's Eye to her mother, she could keep it for herself, be her own person and get a better life not only for herself but also for the other kids on the Isle. Could she do it by letting Evie fall in a deep sleep? She knew that Evie wasn't responsible for her humiliation when she was 6 but if she came back in town with the girl, her mother and everyone else would think her to be weak, right?

"Wait a minute." Mal ordered and Evie stopped in her moves while they looked at Maleficent's daughter.

"What is it?" Evie asked.

"Just wait, let me think." Mal added.

Suddenly, Mal looked up and realized why she felt like she was being watched: Diablo, her mother's faithful bird, was flying over their heads, watching everything. Angry at the bird for having her mother's love and trust when she never had it, Mal used the knife Jay had given her earlier and threw it at him, killing the bird on the spot. Diablo, dead dropped at Evie's feet, making her scream and back up a few steps. With a smirk, Mal cleaned the knife on her pants.

"Was that your mother's?" Carlos asked her.

"Yes, it was. Now he's dead." Mal replied.

"Why don't we grab the Dragon's Eye now? Isn't that why we came all this way for?" Evie asked Mal.

"Because there's a curse on it and anyone who tried to touch it and isn't Maleficent falls in a deep sleep for a thousand years. Yesterday I wouldn't have minded you falling for the curse but I kind of grew used to you now, we're friends now so I can't let you touch it.

"What are we going to do then?" Jay asked her.

"I have a plan. Before that, I need to be sure you're all willing to follow me. Once I have it, we go back to town and I keep it. Jay, I know you were planing on stealing it for your father. Forget it. I keep it. Not my mother, not anyone else. I keep it and use it to get a better life for all of us." Mal declared.

"All of us?" Jay asked her.

"Not just the 4 of us, all the kids of villains. We're trapped here because we were born here but we don't deserve it and I'm tired of my mother never being happy with me, never having a kind word. Always telling me that I'm weak like my father and refusing to tell me who he is. I'm taking the Dragon's Eye and I'm taking power. Are you with me?" Mal asked.

"I am. I'm tired of sleeping on the floor of my mother's closet." Carlos nodded.

"Me too. My father only cares about what I bring him for the shop. From now on he can fill the shelves on his own." Jay nodded as well.

"My mother only cares about beauty, about the perfect lipstick with the perfect eye shadow and the perfect dress... I'm tired of it, I want to be free to be who I want to be. I mean, I don't mind about being the fairest, but why can't I care about my brain as well? I'm in too, if you want me in." Evie agreed.

"Let's try this. My name is Mal, short for Maleficent. You belong to me and only me. You're mine. My mother abandoned you here all alone, I came for you, she didn't so now you belong to me." Mal told the Dragon's Eye before she confidently placed her hand around it and felt its power.

"Well, you're not falling in a deep sleep." Jay said after a few seconds.

"I can feel its power, it linked itself to me now. There is a bit of magic left inside, I should save it for when I'll have to face my mother. But it's definitely mine, and powerful." Mal told them with a smile.

The Dragon's Eye wouldn't answer to her mother anymore. Its loyalty had shifted.

"So, now we go home?" Evie asked.

"Yes, now we go home and we get ready to face our parents. We have each other's back and we stay strong." Mal nodded.

"You really think we could take power?" Jay asked her curiously.

Maybe looking for their parent's approval was pointless, maybe he just needed to make a name for himself, without his father. After all, if he was on the Isle, it meant his father had failed.

"Yeah, what's your plan exactly?" Carlos asked her, feeling like maybe he'd finally be able to break free from his mother.

"For a start, you work on whatever pierced the dome the first time and make sure it happens again, I use the Dragon's eye to break us free and by us I mean all of the children. Together, we can show them all, especially our parents, that we're better than them. And if we can't escape the dome, then maybe we can at least take power on the Isle and gather enough magic to better our own lives and the lives of all the other children who are nothing more than minions for their parents." Mal explained.

"What's your role for me in this plan? Doesn't look like you need me." Jay complained.

"We'll need each other. You'll be our muscles, and you'll procure whatever Carlos needs, make sure people obey us. The four of us stick together, help each other and do our best to help the other kids get better treatment as well." Mal told him, looking more like her mother now.

"I... Are you sure it would work?" Carlos asked in a small voice.

"Yes, I'm sure. You wouldn't have to go back to your mother, you wouldn't have to do her chores, you'd have your own bedroom, with a real bed and everything. You'd be your own man and maybe you'd even get minions of your own. Imagine it, me on top, the three of you by my side. Each of you having people to answer to your every commands." Mal tried to convince them.

"And we'd have to answer to you?" Evie asked her in a small voice.

"Mostly, yes." She smirked.

"Fine, I'm in." Jay nodded, deciding that the future she described was better than anything he could think of.

"Me too. I'm tired of being my mother's slave, especially since she loves her furs more than me." Carlos nodded.

"Me too. I've said it already, I'll say it again. I'm with you, Mal. My mother is the reason we weren't friends sooner, now we are and I have your back. As long as you let me give you a makeover once in a while." Evie replied, making Mal chuckle.

"Good. It's time the Isle of the Lost got to know the new, and improved, Maleficent." Mal ordered.

"You sure look like her and sound like her when you want to." Jay teased her.

"Alright. Jay, Carlos, one of you grab Diablo, I want to show this to my mother. Let's go back home." Mal decided.

When they reached the bridge, Mal was able to use the Dragon's Eye to collect the magic that tried to prevent them from leaving, the same one that had tried to prevent them from reaching the castle. Once on the other side, they saw Goblins. Only one of them spoke their language, or at least only one they could see. Of course Jay spoke Goblin but he didn't have to because Mal took matters into her own hands.

"You used to work for my mother, you could work for me. Help us get back to town and, when the time comes for us to leave this Isle, and we will, I'll remember that you helped me once." Mal declared.

"How will you help us?" The leader of this group of Goblins asked her.

"It depends on what you want. If I can break the dome you'll be able to get back to Auradon, otherwise, I guess it depends on what you want that I can give you." Mal explained.

"Alright, we'll take your deal." The Goblin nodded, offering them to climb on the carriage they had.

"You know Goblins are real gossips, right? Word of this will reach town before we do." Jay reminded Mal.

"Might as well be ready to face the music then. Time for us to take a stand." Mal nodded.

"Won't your mother be disappointed that I'm still alive?" Evie asked her new friend.

"I don't care anymore. With the magic I absorbed on the bridge, I have enough power to fight my mother if I have to. She either follows me or falls. Same goes for all our parents." Mal replied.

"Where will we go if our parents get angry?" Carlos asked.

"We all go to live in my house. Carlos and Jay can share my mother's room, Evie can share mine. My mother can move in with Cruella or the Evil Queen for all I care." Mal replied.

"I like the idea of our mothers living together. It could be fun to watch." Evie chuckled.

"I wonder how long it would take them to kill each other." Jay commented.

"Maybe they'd end up teaming up to fight their daughters." Carlos added with an amused smile.

.

When the four teenagers entered town, everyone stopped what they were doing to look at them. It was obvious that some goblins had already reached town and had spread the news of what they had done.

"Here she is, _My_ daughter! You did it! I knew you could do it! You got my Dragon's Eye for me!" Maleficent exclaimed happily when she approached them, speaking in a loud voice that could be heard far.

Mal knew that this was an important moment, everyone would be watching them and she had to be strong now.

"No, mother. The Dragon's Eye isn't yours anymore. It's mine now." Mal declared in a strong, calm and clear voice that sent a chill of silence all around them.

"Y... Yours? How dare you! Mal..." Maleficent exclaimed in fury.

"No, let me handle this." Mal whispered to her friends who were about to step in front of her, surprising everyone.

"What is this? It better be a joke!" Maleficent exclaimed.

"I simply realized that I didn't need your validation, plus, if you really wanted to get the Dragon's Eye back, you could have simply gone yourself. Carlos, give her gift to my mother, will you." Mal smirked as Carlos, obeying, dropped Diablo's dead body at Maleficent's feet.

"Diablo! My sweet Diablo! What did you do!" Maleficent cried out, fury in her voice.

"You shouldn't have sent him after me, and you shouldn't have trusted him more than me, your own daughter. You should have been a bit nicer to your own daughter, and maybe you should have had more faith in me. Now you've lost everything." Mal declared, her green eyes flashing, surprising her mother.

"Carlos! Here you are! My furs need fluffing and my car needs washing again, now!" Cruella exclaimed angrily when she finally made her way to her son.

Sighting sadly, Carlos was about to follow his mother when Mal's arm spread out to hold him by her side while her voice boomed, letting him know that she had his back as long as he had hers. Evie had hooked her arm through Carlos's.

"Cruella! Find someone else to do your stupid chores or do them yourself, Carlos doesn't live with you anymore. You two, go with Cruella and bring back everything that is Carlos. If anything is forgotten or damaged, you'll be in trouble with me, understand?" Mal declared, her eyes still bright, pointing to the two kids that always followed Carlos because their fathers followed his mother.

"Y... Yes, Mal, right away." The two boys nodded and bowed.

"How dare you! Am I supposed to answer to _you_ , now?" Cruella barked with an angry chuckle.

"Unless you want to take a thousand years long nap, you'll do exactly what you're told." Mal nodded.

Cruella glanced at the Dragon's Eye in Mal's hand, knowing very well what it could do and seemed to be hesitating for a few minutes before she looked at Mal's bright green eyes and the powerful weapon in her hands. It was obvious that she had somehow found a way to charge it with magic. Then, she backed up a few steps and turned around, going back to Hell Hall to supervise the transfer of Carlos's things.

"Make sure nothing is missing, I want all of his equipment brought here as well." Mal added loudly and the two kids nodded.

"You two, go with them, it'll be faster." Mal told two of Gaston's sons who nodded and did what she asked.

"You're not going to get away with this, Mal!" Mal's mother exclaimed angrily, taking a step toward her daughter, trying to scare and intimidate her like she used to do.

Around them, everyone watched with anticipation, curiosity and fear.

"You will accept this new order, mother, or you'll have to pay the price. You don't mesure up anymore. You should have been a bit nicer to me, a bit more supportive, which, let's be honest, is a lesson that all of you parents should take into consideration. Now you have to pay the price. Either you accept it and you can still live here with us, and obey me, or you can go and share a house with the Evil Queen. You could also challenge me and suffer the consequences. Your choice. Jafar, you bring Jay's things here immediately, someone help him. If Jay finds anything missing or damaged, you'll pay." Mal ordered after she had spoken to her mother, acting as though her mother wasn't important.

"Don't forget my aquarium." Jay reminded his father who nodded, probably thinking that it would be better not to speak up now.

"I can still take you!" Maleficent barked, coming fast toward her daughter.

"We'll see about that." Mal smirked, getting ready to fight her mother.

Using only some of the magic she had stored in the Dragon's Eye, Mal managed to send her mother flying back. The once powerful dark fairy dropped in a puddle of mud a few feet away and everybody was much too stunned to laugh. They were looking at Mal with newfound fear and respect.

"I guess you've just found your new rightful place. You two, go get Evie's things and bring them here. If anything is damaged or mission, you'll pay. I want a party tonight in town to celebrate the new order. Organize it! Everyone under 18 is obligated to be present, if a parent tries to prevent you from coming, they'll have to face me." Mal barked before she turned her back on everyone and made her way to her home, Bargain Castle, followed by Evie, Jay and Carlos.

Once she was at the door, she looked at her mother's two goons and spoke:

"Come with me, you'll bring my mother's things to her, she can move in with the Evil Queen, she just found herself with a vacant bedroom." They nodded and followed the new mistress.

"Are we really staying here with you now?" Carlos asked her once Maleficent's servants had left with the few possessions Mal had allowed them to take.

"Yes, we're a team, aren't we? Jay, you said earlier that your aquarium was a bit small, I think you'll find a slightly bigger aquarium somewhere in the storage room behind the kitchen. You can use it. You boys can share my mother's bedroom, Evie, you'll move with me into mine, we'll move things around to fit a second bed. The living room is big enough so that Carlos can set up his equipment there." Mal told them.

"Thanks." Jay smiled.

"I want to make one thing clear right now, between the 4 of us. We're a team. I have your backs and you have mine. I trust you and you trust me. Anyone crosses us, they pay. You cross me, and you take a thousand years nap." Mal warned them before she went to the fridge and got her mother's old spell book out of it, decided on studying it.

They nodded, after all, it was only fair.

"What do you want us to do right now?" Jay asked her, Carlos by his side while Evie stood by Mal.

"Just settle in. Tonight we party and make sure the children know that they have the power now. Tomorrow, we start plotting." Mal smirked.

Mal had just finished speaking when people came over with Carlos and Jay's things. The two boys quickly showed them the right way and spent a few hours decorating and setting their new rooms. Evie's things arrived a bit later and the three boys who had carried them told Mal how upset Maleficent and the Evil Queen were.

.

Later that night, everyone in town would party and drink to ' _The new and improved Maleficent_ ' while the old Maleficent would be raging and fighting with an angry Evil Queen. Cruella never showed up to the party but Jafar did and he didn't seem to mind about his son's decision. He seemed to think that it was part of a bigger plan to take everything and bring it to him. He had no idea that his son had chosen a new side.

For once, Mal joined the party. She had managed to use a bit of magic left in the Dragon's Eye to turn it into a smaller version of itself. It was just big enough to fit in her pocket and still held the curse that would put to sleep anyone that wasn't her who'd try to hold it. She knew that nobody would even try to take it from her but, for safety measures, she hide it in her bra, between her breasts.

Mid party, once she knew that everyone was present, Mal spoke out, telling everyone that things would change from now on. She reminded them that the parents had been the ones punished to this Isle, not them. She insisted that her taking power was not only for herself but for all of them. She ordered that, from now on, children would get the best food from the ships and that she be informed if any of them were mistreated by their parents. If there was only one bed in the house, it should be for the child, not the parent. If the parent wanted something done, they'd have to do it themselves, unless the child really wanted to help out.

Of course her announcement was met with cheers and the kids of the Isle chanted her name for a long while, celebrating the changes.

The party lasted well into the night and the children were the ones who enjoyed it the most, sensing that this new order would work well for them. The adults were too worried, especially the parents. Mal's take of power would change things, they could feel it and they were all afraid, especially the ones who were cruel to their own kids. They were afraid of the punishment they'd get in the next few days and so, most of them immediately started acting a bit nicer.

.

The next morning, more like around noon, Mal went to find Jay in the kitchen, where he was eating some breakfast.

"Hey, how was your night?" She asked him.

"Good, yours? Done plotting already?" he asked her with a relaxed smirk.

"Kind of." she chuckled.

"What's next?" he asked her more seriously.

"When you're done here, I'd like you to get a message to Uma for me. I want to meet her. She can come here." Mal asked him.

"Alright, I'm finished here, I'll go now. I have to go there anyway to get more food for my babies." He smiled, speaking of his animals.

"Jay? Make sure you're here when she comes, I want you to hear my plan. I won't leave you out." Mal assured him and he smiled, glad to know that she kept her word but not really surprised.

Mal had always been the kind of girl who kept her word.

"See you later." He waved at her before he left.

Smiling because she could see things slowly going into place, Mal went to check on Carlos. When she arrived in his room, he was already working on his box, with five different books opened all around him.

"Hey, did you take the time to eat before getting to work?" She asked him.

"I forgot, I'm used not to be fed." he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, that's over now. Come, Jay already ate but I haven't. We'll eat together and I'll update you on my plan. Evie went to the market earlier, declaring that she needed material to make us all matching outfits."

"You know what you want to do next?" he asked her.

"Yes, Jay went to get Uma for me. Do you want to be there when I'll talk to her about the part of my plan that includes her or do you plan on going right back to work?" She asked him.

"I should probably get to work, it's why I'm here, right?" he smiled.

"You don't have to solve this in one day, Carlos. We're a team, but you don't have to stay in your room working all the time if you don't want to. You can take breaks or even come to work in the common rooms." She told him, as kindly as she could.

She could guess that he was being influenced by his mother's past treatments and she wanted him to feel at ease here with her.

"I guess you're right. I'll stay until your meeting with Uma then." he smiled.

"Good. Now, is there anything you need that you don't have for your thingy?" she asked him.

"A couple, I'll ask Jay to go and get it with me later today." Carlos nodded.

.

An hour after Jay had left bargain Castle, he was back with Uma. Evie had already come back, her arms full of material.

"You called for me?" Uma glared, feeling like she wasn't in a position of force.

She knew that she had to behave and obey to Mal, the new Maleficent, if she didn't went to end up at the bottom of the sea or worst.

"Yes. Let's go to the living room. Jay, Evie, and Carlos too." Mal declared.

They arrived in the common room and Uma sat on a chair while, in front of her, Mal and Evie sat on the sofa, with Jay on their right and Carlos on their left.

"I guess I should call you Maleficent now." Uma stated.

"Mal's fine. I have an offer for you."

"An offer? I thought I wasn't big or bad enough to be your friend?" Uma glared, remembering that Mal had once called her _shrimpy_.

"You have always been a leader, Uma, we wouldn't have worked well together. We would have been constantly fighting for power and ended up creating more chaos for ourselves than for others. Anyway, you have your own gang now and it's the reason you're here. Are you listening, or not?" Mal asked her.

"I'm curious. I'll listen to your offer." Uma nodded.

"You might be wondering how I was able to use magic to send my mother flying yesterday. I'll keep the details secrets but we found a way to pierce the dome temporarily. We're looking to either break the dome completely or at least create an opening large enough for us to escape. That's when you come in. You and your crew take Hook's ship, prepare it, practice so that you'll be able to maneuver it quickly when the time comes. We'll keep you updated and if the chance arises, you and your crew will be able to escape and sail freely to Auradon or beyond." Mal explained.

It took a few minutes of silence for Uma to recover from her shock but she eventually did.

"What do you get out of it?" Uma asked her.

"It might take us a while until we manage it. Until then, you support my rule and obey my order. You reprimand people who disrespect us. If you have a complaint about a parent, you come to me. I think it's time the parents understood that they were the ones punished to live here, not us. When we break out, they'll stay behind. They won't be free, but we will be." Mal explained.

"So I support your rule, I make sure people respect you and your new position, and prepare my crew and our ship for the liberation day. And we're friends?" Uma asked for confirmation.

"I wouldn't go as far as saying that we're friends, but we'll be on the same side. But I want one thing to be clear: no one can know about what we're planning until the last moment and ALL parents stays behind." Mal warned Uma.

"It's not like I have much love for my mother anyway." Uma shrugged her shoulders.

"You should try to get her to give you her necklace, it could be useful on the other side of the dome." Mal added.

"Good idea." Uma nodded.

"Make sure there's enough space on the ship for us to escape with you when the time comes." Jay added.

"Of course." Uma nodded.

"Jay or Carlos will bring you news, we'll warn you next time we try it, make sure you're ready to move then. Just tell your crew it's just another practice." Mal informed Uma.

"Do I have to keep it a secret from all of them? I'm sure I could tell Harry, he wouldn't tell anyone, not if I asked him to keep the secret." Uma asked.

Mal looked at Jay and Carlos, asking them silently what they thought of it. Carlos shrugged his shoulders, indifferent, while Jay nodded.

"You can tell Harry, it's fine." Mal agreed.

"I guess I should go and see just how fast we can be ready to go, try to train us to be faster." Uma said as she stood up.

"You do that." Mal nodded.

"Mal... Thanks for trusting me with this. It means a lot that you're giving me a chance to prove myself. We won't disappoint you." Uma told Mal before she left.

"Make sure you don't." Mal replied.

"So, we escape the Isle on the pirate ship?" Evie asked Mal once Uma was out.

"Unless we get another plan. Even if we find another way to escape the Isle, it could be useful to have them on our side and in on the plan. They can always be a back up, just in case." Mal nodded.

"Good idea." Carlos nodded.

"So, little question. Do we still go to school tomorrow?" Jay asked.

"Of course we do. We go to school and we ace every class like we always do." Mal smiled.

"Good, there are a few things I need there." Carlos nodded.

"We'll get there a bit early though. I'll have to speak with Faciliter about the library. It's time we kids had the right to enter it anytime we want." Mal told them before letting them go do their own things.

.

The next morning, Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay made their way to school together. They weren't afraid that someone would try anything about their new home because it was now guarded by Goblins, who had sworn their allegiance to the New Maleficent.

On the way, everyone looked fearfully at the little group, hoping not to get in their way and to stay in their good graces. Once at school, the younger children seemed happy to see them and some of them even came to thank Mal because their parents were starting to act nicer.

As soon as she arrived at school, Mal, followed by Evie, Jay and Carlos, headed to the Headmaster's office to make sure he also knew who was in charge now.

"Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos? What do you want now?" he asked them with a frown on his face.

"We won't take too much of your time today, don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you know who's in power here. I'm in charge now and while I don't mind the fact that you run the school, there's one thing that will change from now on: The library." Mal declared confidently while playing with the Dragon's Eye in her hands.

"What about it?" he asked.

"You'll remove that giant spider. From now on, everyone who's willing to learn is allowed inside the library." Mal decided.

"What? No! The library is restricted!" He shook his head.

"Not anymore." Mal replied, making her eyes glow a bright green, scaring the once powerful man into submission.

"Fine, but if anything happens, I won't be responsible. Knowledge is dangerous!" Faciliter half growled.

"Why? Because it might help us win more power over you adults? For way too long you've all been controlling everything and it's going to change now. Remember that you adults were the ones imprisoned here, not us. If you're not more careful, one day, it might come to bite you in the ass." Mal replied, still confident but also a bit angry.

"You're trapped on this Isle like the rest of us, don't forget it _young girl_."

"Watch how you speak to her!" Jay stepped forward, placing himself closer to their headmaster.

"We might be trapped here for now, but unlike you, I have magic. Now unlock the library and make sure everyone knows it's open to anyone who wants to access it." Mal ordered before she turned around and went to class, followed by Jay and Carlos.

"Evie, when the library opens, I want you to go and get all the maps of this Isle you can find." Mal told her new friend who nodded.

A couple of hours later, Faciliter made an announcement at school to inform all of the students that because of a new rule by the new Maleficent, everyone turned to look at Mal at that mention, the library was now open to anyone who wanted to learn but that its content had to be respected. This news was met with cheers of most students and, when the last class of the day was done, a lot of students made their way to the once locked room, willing to see what they could discover in there.

"Things are really changing for us now, aren't they?" The youngest of the step-granddaughters, Dizzy, asked to no-one in particular, not noticing Mal and Jay behind her.

"Yes, they are. It's time our parents learned that they were sent here to be punished and that it doesn't mean we have to be punished too." Mal replied, surprising the young girl.

With a bright smile, Dizzy jumped up and hugged Mal before she rushed to follow her cousins and sisters home.

"A hug? Did I just get a hug?" Mal whispered while Jay stood chuckling by her side.

"You sure did." He managed to confirm, still laughing.

.

"King Beast, we've received news from the Isle. It's quite disturbing." Lumiere announced as soon as he entered the Castle's dinning room where King Beast, his wife Belle and their son Ben were eating their dinner.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It seems that there has been a shift in power." Lumiere replied nervously.

"Maleficent's not in charge anymore?" Ben and his father asked together.

"Not really... I... Well, it seems that her daughter is in power now."

"How did that happen?" Beast asked.

"Remember a few days ago when we got report of a small and temporary breach in the dome?" Lumiere asked and the King nodded, along with his family.

"Maleficent's sidekick Diablo woke up and told her that the Dragon's Eye awoke. She sent her daughter Mal to get it." He continued.

"She sent her daughter there? But it's dangerous and absolutely no place for a child, even a teenager!" Belle exclaimed.

"Yes, it was and Mal ended up keeping the staff for herself and challenged her mother. The Dragon's Eye held a bit of magic still so she won against her mother and took power. According to what the Goblins have reported, she's changing things for kids. She ordered the library to be opened and parents all over the Isle are starting to treat their children a bit better because they're afraid she'd come after them otherwise and use the Dragon's eye to curse them asleep for a thousand years." Lumiere explained what had been reported to them.

"She's just a child, isn't she?" Belle asked.

"She's 16 your majesty." Lumière nodded seriously.

"Just like me." Ben muttered, thinking of the girl he had dreamed of.

Coud it be linked? Could it be her?

"What should we do, your Highness?" Lumière asked.

"Maybe we should meet with her." Ben suggested before his father could speak, bringing every look to him.

"What do you mean, son?" Beast asked him.

"After all, the children did nothing wrong, it's the parents who were punished. Maybe we should try to give the children a chance, get them to come here, to school. Give them a chance to be better people. If we meet with this Mal, we can try to come to an agreement." Ben explained, making his mother smile with pride.

"If I may, according to the Goblins, Mal has made sure everyone knew that her priority on the Isle were the kids. She's well aware that the parent were punished and deserved it. She just wants to better the lives of herself and her friends first, but also all children. The Goblins have overheard her." Lumière added.

"Then maybe your idea isn't so bad, Son." Beast nodded.

"I'd like this to be my first act as King." Ben told his father.

"I think it's a good idea. Lumière, arrange everything with Ben. Select a meeting place and try to see how many of them we can welcome, contact the other schools all over the kingdom." Beast said before Ben added:

"Maybe it would be best to hold the meeting on the Isle, where she controls the surrounding and knows to trust us."

Everyone nodded and a letter was written, to be delivered to Mal the next morning. The meeting would take place a day later. Ben would bring a few guards for his security and Lumière for guidance but his father had agreed to give his son full authority in this matter. He trusted him, after all, he had raised his son just for this: be king one day.

.

"What is it, Mal?" Evie asked her once she was done reading the official letter that a Goblin brought her.

"Prince Ben has been given, by his father the King, authority to discuss an arrangement with us. He's apparently going to be crowned next month and he wants to give us, children, another chance. He'll come here tomorrow. Apparently the Goblins have reported to them what happened and they want to give us, children of villains, a chance to live in Auradon. He'll have a few guards and an adviser. He suggests selecting a few people I trust to seat at this meeting." Mal explained while Carlos read over the letter.

"We're actually getting a chance to leave? Legally?" Jay exclaimed.

"Who will seat with you?" Carlos asked her shyly.

"You three of course. Jay, I want Uma to be there as well. While he does that, Evie, I want you to assemble everyone under 18 at the school in a couple of hours. The ones who want to stay won't be forced to leave but we should have a list of people who want a second chance ready to show them, just in case." Mal decided and her friends nodded before they hurried off.

Two hours later, Mal was at school, standing over a desk. Jay, Carlos, Evie and Uma were by her side, on the ground and they were all facing the other kids.

"I've asked you all to come here because something is about to change and you should have a say in whether or not you want it to concern you. Apparently, the King of Auradon got word of the recent change of leadership on the Isle and his son, who'll be crowned next month, decided that his first act would be to negotiate a second chance for us all. You see, our parents were sent here because they deserved it but we don't. We haven't done anything worthy of this prison yet and they want to give us a chance to show that we can be good and live a good life in Auradon. Tomorrow, we'll discuss the terms, how many will go, how it will happen... Everything." Mal stopped talking a moment and let everyone react.

Mostly, it was positive. They seemed very happy to have been given this chance.

"I want to make it clear that this isn't a chance they're giving us so we can get revenge for our parents, it's a chance for us to become ourselves. If we do what our parents did, it's obvious we'll be sent right back here. Now is when all of you need to think hard and make a decision. If you want a chance to go live in Auradon, then I want you to find either Jay, Carlos, Evie or Uma and to write your name on the lists they have. I want to make it clear that this is for us, **not** for our parents. They're staying behind. We're not working for them. We're not their minions. We're our own persons and this is our chance to break free. Our parents never thought about us, never gave us a second thought, this is our chance to think about ourselves, to put ourselves and our well being first. A chance for us to eat when we're hungry, to not be cold or afraid. But if you even think about working for your parents or doing bad things while in Auradon, be sure that they'll send you right back here and I won't jeopardize my own chance for you." Mal added seriously.

"Are we sure this is serious and not a trap?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I am. The heroes are many things but they don't lie." Mal nodded.

"What if we want to stay here?" A soon to be 18 year old son of pirate asked.

"I won't force anyone to go, this is why you need to write your name on the lists if you want to come. I'm aware that some of you are happy here, that some of you don't want to leave your parents behind or to betray them. I can't promise to change things for those of you who want to stay here but I'll try to get fresher food and a general better treatment for the children who stay here." Mal added.

"Do you know how soon we'll be able to leave?" Dizzy asked.

"No, that will probably be discussed tomorrow."

"What if our parents try to stop us from going or hurt us?" Another kid asked.

"Then you come to me, or to Jay, Carlos, Evie, Harry or Uma. Your parents have no right to hurt you." Mal insisted.

Mal answered a couple more questions before she let them reach the lists. In the end, more than half the kids had put their names on it. Evie and Mal chuckled when they noticed that Dizzy wanted to leave the Isle so bad that she had written her name on all the lists, to make sure they considered her.

"Do we just hand them the lists like this?" Uma asked Mal.

"I don't think so. We rewrite the list. Next to the name, we write the age and the gender. It might make things easier tomorrow." Mal shook her head.

.

The next day, right on time, the delegation from Auradon arrived and Mal welcomed them with her friends. When the Prince, and future King, stepped in front of them, she recognize the boy from her dreams and she could see the same recognition in his eyes. Could he have dreamt of her too? What did it mean?

"Evie, it's him." Mal whispered to her new friend.

Indeed, she had dreamt of him again the previous night and decided to tell everything to Evie, who believed it was a magical sign.

"It's a sign, look at the way he's looking at you, It's destiny. I wouldn't be surprised if he had the same dreams." Evie whispered back discreetly.

"Thanks for welcoming us." Prince Ben declared after the introductions were made.

"No problem. This way, please." Mal replied, leading the Prince's delegation and her own to her living room where chairs had been prepared for everyone.

On the way to the meeting room, Ben could see a lot of children and teenagers who were hanging around, obviously waiting to see how it would end. At this moment, Ben could feel that whatever he did or say would influence greatly the life of a lot of innocent children, because, unlike their parents, they were innocent.

Everyone sat around the table and Mal decided to let the Prince lead the negotiations.

"Before we start, is anyone interested in going to live and study in Auradon, to be given a chance to be good?" Ben asked, his eyes not leaving Mal.

There was a connection between them, something deep that was taking place and he didn't want it to stop. He made a mental note to break up with Audrey as soon as he got back Home. He had started dating her because it was the kind of girl people expected him to be with but he was bored with her and he couldn't bring himself to love her. She was self centered and wasn't interested in anything that didn't touch her personally.

"Yes, we've actually made a list of everyone under 18 who's interested. You have their name, their age and their gender." Mal nodded, handing him the long list they had copied.

As she handed him the papers, their fingers brushed against each other and it made her blush. Evie and Uma noticed and tried to hide their smiles.

"That's great! It's going to make everything so much easier!" Ben exclaimed as he quickly looked at the list.

"Very organized of you." Lumière complimented kindly.

"How many are you willing to welcome?" Mal asked him.

"We'll try to do our best to welcome anyone who wants to come. Auradon prep was the first to volunteer to welcome students but Lumière has reached out to other schools all around the kingdom and there will be plenty of space for everyone. Neverland, Wonderland and Camelot are especially eager to open their doors to give you second chances." Ben explained.

"Because they hope it'll help them win in the tournament against Auradon prep." Lumiere whispered, amusing everyone around him.

"Some of the younger kids wanted to know how soon they'd be able to leave. They're afraid their parents will try to hurt them if they stay too long after making the decision to leave, especially since Mal has made it clear that the parents wouldn't be able to order their children to do their bidding once away, that there would be no plotting to help the parents." Carlos asked, concerned.

"We can arrange for the first group of children to leave as soon as tomorrow, Sire." Lumière announced.

"Good." Mal and Ben said at the same time.

"I've found, in my mother's spell book, a magical contract we're willing to sign. It would be a promise not to try and get revenge for our parents, not to be evil and if we broke it, instead of killing us like it does, I can change it so that it only paralyzes us. You'd just have to drop us back on the Isle to break the spell." Mal offered, showing the spell.

"We don't really use magic anymore in Auradon." Ben frowned.

"While that is true sire, it might help the citizens to go along with the plan and to trust them more." Lumière replied, agreeing with Mal.

"It wouldn't hurt you?" Ben asked for confirmation.

"No, it wouldn't. I've worked on it and studied a few old spell books to make sure I could change it the right way, but I'm sure you know people who could check if I did things right." Mal replied, her eyes locked on ben's eyes.

"Fairy Godmother or Merlin would be more than happy to do it." Lumière nodded.

"Are you on the list, Mal?" Ben asked.

"I am, but I'll be the last one who leaves. I want to make sure things go as planned. I'd also like to make sure that the ones who stay here will get fresher food and a better life. Not the parents, just the children. All we get here is what's left over and it's not fair that the children are punished along with their parents when they've done nothing wrong."

"That sounds reasonable." Ben agreed.

"There's also the matter of the Goblins." Jay reminded Mal who nodded.

"What about them?" Ben asked kindly.

"They want to be able to live in Auradon and I promised them that I'd do my best to make it possible. Not all of them deserve to be here." Mal explained.

"Sire, accepting this would make the dwarfs happy as well, they've been petitioning for this for a while." Lumière reminded the king in training.

"I remember Lumière and I agree. The Goblins will still handle the deliveries to the Isle, but unlike before, they won't have to stay there." Ben declared.

"Uma, anything else?" Mal asked Ursula's daughter.

"No, I think everything was said." Uma nodded, excited about the possibility of leaving this place and going to live in Auradon.

Mal was about to turn to Prince Ben to finalize everything with him when Harry, son of Hook, ran through the door, screaming her name.

"Mal! Mal! It's Dizzy, come!" Ben's guards stopped him but, seeing the concern on Mal's face, Ben told them to let him go.

"What's going on?" Mal asked Harry as she stood up and went to stand in front of him.

"One of her sisters came to us, she was afraid of getting help directly. Her mother told her to clean the hair salon as usual but Dizzy refused, saying she didn't have to anymore because you said so and Drizella started yelling and when Dizzy didn't back off and do what she was asked she beat her up. Her sister said she was bleeding a lot and didn't answer or move. They're scared." Harry explained, speaking quickly.

"Sorry, I have to go, I'll be back." Mal told Ben before she ran away, taking the Dragon's Eye in her hands and making it grow big as she ran, followed by Jay, Carlos, Harry, Uma and Evie.

Ben decided to go with her, followed by his guards and Lumière.

Everyone parted to let the weird group through and, when she arrived at the hair salon, Mal could hear Drizella still screaming at her daughter, who was lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious. She was about to give the girl another hit in the stomach when Mal made her presence known.

"Stop!" Mal screamed, her voice resonating as the Dragon's Eye glowed and sent Drizella flying against the wall.

"Oh no!" Evie exclaimed, rushing to Dizzy, along with one of the guards, who had a bit of medical training.

"We need to get her help." Uma stated.

"I'll get the doctor." Carlos suggested and was about to leave when Ben said:

"We'll take her with us now, it'll be faster, she'll get better care. We probably have better equipment than you do here. Lumière, you take her back to Auradon with the car, to the hospital. I'll finalize everything here with Mal. Take half the guards with you. Leave an extra motorcycle behind, I'll ride it home." Ben decided.

"Thank you." Mal smiled while one of the guards helped stabilize the girl as well as he could.

"Harry, where did her sisters go?" Mal asked the young pirate.

"They're on the ship, with their cousins. They're afraid to go home. Lady Tremain is still at school." Harry replied.

"Can they stay there for now?" Mal asked.

"Yes, of course." he nodded.

"You guys gather their things and bring it to them, then. Tell them that Dizzy is on her way to Auradon to be healed." Mal told her friends who nodded.

"Are they on the list?" Ben asked Mal softly, seeing for the first time how truly hard life on the Isle could be.

"I know Dizzy is on it for sure, I'd have to check for the others." She replied thoughtfully.

"All the 4 step granddaughters are on the list, I saw their names but Anthony Tremain wants to stay." Evie confirmed.

"I'm not surprised." Mal frowned.

"Then they'll be on the first group to come. I'll arrange everything." Ben promised.

"Thank you." Mal nodded while they watched two guards carrying Dizzy to the car.

While the guards stabilized and transported Dizzy to the car, Ben ordered the guards who'd stay behind with him for a while longer to take all of the candy out of the car and to give it away to the kids hanging around. This gift was met with cheers and it was a sign that things were truly about to change.

.

A few minutes later, the shiny car was driving away and Mal was leading Ben back to her place when he stopped and asked her:

"Could you, maybe, show me around?" he asked her.

"Here? You want to see the Isle?" She asked him.

"Yes, I do. The Isle of the Lost has been forgotten for too long, if I want to be a good king, I need to know my people and to know how they live. Seeing it could help me find ways to make the life of the people here better." he explained.

"Sure, why not." She agreed.

She felt a strong connection with the prince and she could tell that he felt it too. She didn't know where it would lead but she was determined to fight for it.

"Mal, I'll go back to the Jolly Roger with Harry, take their things to the girls. Unless you need me?" Uma informed Mal.

"No, you can go. I'll see you later." Mal told the one who had once been her friend and was slowly working on becoming it again.

In the end, Ben and Mal were alone, with the three guards that were still with them. Evie had stayed at the Curl up and Dye hair salon to make sure Drizella would be punished. Goblins would come and pick her up to lock her in a cage for a few weeks, or months, in punishment for what she had done.

.

Mal took Ben in all the important places, showed him their school, which had him frowning, and the market. She found it surprisingly easy to hold a conversation with him.

"Do you have much magic left in the Dragon's Eye?" Ben asked her.

"Not really, I used most of what was left to knock Drizella out. I just have enough to make it small again, but I'm hoping I won't need to use it again. People don't need to know that it's powerless. It can still curse them asleep if they touch it." She told him.

"I hope you don't need it. In Auradon, magic isn't really used anymore, unless we really don't have a choice."

"I get it. I wouldn't have even used any if I had had another option to defeat my mother and get better lives for us." She replied.

"Well, if you hadn't used it, I might not have come. It wouldn't have gotten the Goblin's attention and they wouldn't have told us about it. It's all thanks to you taking a stand against your mother that things are changing. In Auradon, we're so locked up in our perfect lives that it's easy to forget about the Isle. I'm ashamed that it never even crossed me that the villain's children might want another life, that they didn't deserve this life. To me, villains were normal parents, who still loved and encouraged their children. I'm sorry..." Ben confessed.

"It's not your fault, it's not even your father's fault. When he locked them all here, it was an opportunity. They could have used it to change, to try to love and encourage their children, but instead, they kept on behaving the way they always did, even though it got them nowhere. They made their own bed, twice." Mal replied.

"Well, things will change now, thanks to you. I... I'm sure you and I will change a lot of things for the better, Mal." Ben told her.

"I hope so."

"Are you really going to wait to be in the last group that leaves the Isle?" he asked her and she could hear a bit of longing in his voice.

"Yes, like I said, I want to stay until the last minute to make sure everything goes well. Evie, Carlos and Jay will stay with me." She told Ben.

"I... If I manage to organize everything quickly and you're in Auradon before the coronation ceremony, would you agree to go with me?" Ben asked her, looking unsure.

"You just met me... Don't you have a perfect pink princess girlfriend to go with you?" Mal asked him, surprised.

"I saw recognition when you met me, I'm sure you've had the same vision dreams I had... it has to mean something. As for a girlfriend... I do have one, but I'm going to break up with her as soon as I get back home. I started dating her because it was expected of me to date someone but she's... boring and self centered. You think about others, you take interest in things even if they don't directly touch you. I'd really like it if you agree to go with me." He asked her with a smile.

"Won't your people be angry for going with Maleficent's daughter to such an important event?"

"I'm sure they'll see, just like me, how truly different from her you are." he smiled.

"I..." Mal didn't know what to say.

"Take your time to think about it. I know it's asking a lot, you'd be on the spot, everyone would be watching you. Just promise me to think about it. You'll give me your answer when you get to Auradon." Ben insisted.

"I'll think about it." She smiled.

"Great!" He exclaimed, obviously happy, making Mal smile.

They walked a bit more, getting to know each other as they did. They both confessed about the dream-visions they had had of each other and Ben made it clear that he believed it meant they were meant to be and that he felt they would work. He told her that, if she agreed to go to Coronation with him, he'd introduce her as his girlfriend. Mal couldn't deny that there was something there, but, having never felt love, she didn't know how to describe what she was feeling. He told her to take her time and, even though they were on the Isle and not in Auradon, this moment between them (followed by his body guards), felt perfect.

.

When Ben finally left, Mal felt a pang in her chest, missing him already. She explained everything that had been concluded to her friends and, once alone with Evie and Uma, told them about her time alone with Ben, how she felt and how she was afraid. They were very encouraging and told her that she should trust her instinct and give him a chance if she really felt like it.

Two hours after Ben had left, someone knocked on Mal's front door. She opened it to find one of the guards from Auradon she had seen earlier today. He handed her a message with a smile and left after she thanked him. She noticed that he hadn't come alone and that the other guards were distributing newer clothes and fresher food to the kids outside.

"It's from Ben." Mal smiled.

"Already? He's really hooked." Uma exclaimed while Jay and Carlos rolled their eyes.

"He starts by saying that he broke up with his girlfriend. He says that the first thing he did when he got back to Auradon was to visit Dizzy at the hospital. She'll have a long recovery but she's not in danger anymore, she's safe. He writes that Cinderella has offered to take in Dizzy as soon as she is released from the hospital. She supports Ben's idea to give us all a second chance, kind of would be hypocritical of her not to given her history, and with the state Dizzy arrived in, the press is supporting it too, making it sound like we're all in the same danger as Dizzy. Cinderella is inviting all of her step nieces to live with them as soon as they arrive. The car will come to pick them up tomorrow morning." Mal told them what she read.

"That's great! I should go and warn them right away." Uma exclaimed.

"He sent a copy of the list too, with everyone divided in groups. Each group will go to a different school. Just like I asked, the four of us are in the last group and we'll go to Auradon. Uma, you and Harry are in the second group, you'll leave the day after tomorrow. He's planned for a group to leave every day." Mal explained.

"Where am I going?" Uma asked curiously.

"To Neverland but there's a note here saying that after a while you'll be offered the possibility to go to school in the school under the sea, with King Triton's granddaughters and the other sea people. Dizzy and her sisters will go to Camelot high or Olympus high, there's a question mark there. It'll probably depend on when Dizzy's fully recovered."

"Does he write anything else to you personally?" Evie asked her friend.

"Just that he can't wait to see me again." Mal replied with a blush.

That evening, they turned on the TV and watched as the Auradon journalists talked of Prince Ben's decision to give some Villain's kid a second choice, describe the state young Dizzy arrived in and how it was probably for the best. The way they turned it, it was hard not to believe it was the best decision ever. They even managed to get images of Dizzy being carried out of the royal car and taken inside the ER.

"They're not speaking about the magical contracts idea you had." Jay noticed.

"Ben didn't like it much but Lumière did. In the letter he says Fairy Godmother has agreed with me and is going to make them. I guess we'll sign them as soon as we arrive." Mal replied.

"It's really here, isn't it? A new beginning for us all?" Evie asked her friend.

"Yes, it is." Mal nodded, happy.

.

A month later, Prince Ben was only hours away from his coronation ceremony and he had met Mal a few times since their first meeting.

She had only arrived a few days ago but he had gone back to the Isle a few times to see her and spend time with her. He had been on a tour of the isle, talked to a few villain's kids, especially to those who wanted to stay on the Isle, and to Yen Sid. He wanted to give them more opportunities and to prove that he was going to be a good king, even to them. Now that he knew more about the way things were on the isle, Ben had started a few changes to improve the life of those who hadn't been sent there in the first place.

Ben had also enjoyed all the time he had been able to spend with Mal. They got to know each other and were happy together. he had been proud to ask her to be his date to the coronation and she had accepted with a big happy smile.

Now, Mal stood by his side as Ben climbed the stairs to join his parents and she looked as pretty as a princess in the dress Evie had made just for her. Word had quickly gotten out that Ben was dating Maleficent's daughter and that they were serious. The people of Auradon were getting ready to see, one day, Mal become their Queen.

It was a new beginning for the kids from the Isle and, all over the kingdom, they were all enjoying their second chances. Even Sleeping Beauty's mother had come to meet with Mal and to tell her that she admired her courage for facing her mother and trying to change the lives of the other children when she could have changed only her own life.

Mal had taken the Dragon's Eye with her and, as soon as she arrived, she gave it to Fairy Godmother, even though Ben told her that she coud keep it if she wanted. She didn't need it though, so she gave it away to be safely locked up in a museum, where it belonged.

* * *

 **Okay, so, while reading the first book, I started thinking "W _hat if?_ " and then I started thinking and decided to write what could have happened, because I believe that if she had believed a little more in herself, Mal would have been able to take control of it all. **

**In the first version of this story, Evie fell under the sleeping curse but then I added the part with Ben and so it didn't fit anymore and I changed things.**

 **I might write the Evil Mal story were Evie dies later though, it intrigues me and I'd like to see where I can take it. Would you like me to write it? If I do, I'll put it here as a second chapter.**

 **Review please, let me know what you think?**

 **Merry Christmas.**

 **Lorelei Candice Black**


End file.
